The Emerald Isle and Giant's Causeway

4.2.2018 -

Back in London! Ireland was amazing, so beautiful and the culture so friendly - I already would love to go back. My day in Dublin was very busy, but that's what I wanted! I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I actually traveled, for the first time, by myself! It was too late and hectic to find someone to go with (and hard, since I went in the middle of the week) so I'm had some "me time" in the Emerald Isle.

After eventually figuring my way to the city from the airport, I had breakfast and checked in at Abigail's Hostel, where I stayed for just one night. That left me with some time to walk and shop around Grafton's St. for a few hours. There were buskers and performers, gorgeous music! I got some great presents, and the musicians on the street were definitely the highlight of my morning. My favorite buy of the day was this amazing and vibrant scarf (I wanted something to remind me of how green everything was!) that's definitely going to become my favourite. I didn't know it at the time, but it was a lifesaver the next day when I toured Northern Ireland and was blown to bits (not to mention the hail!).

I met up with my free walking tour at 2 pm with New Sandeman's (there weren't too many of us, so it was really personal), and got an amazing overview of the city, Ireland (South and North!) and its history, and culture! Some of my favourite stops were the City Square, all the small alleyways and cut-throughs, "Dark Kelley's" (named after a woman of the night) and Trinity College. Though I didn't get to see it the Book of Kells, a fantastical wondrously illustrated biblical manuscript, is housed at the college.

I had a little time to shop after before I met up with two girls from the tour to go to the Irish Whiskey Museum. The best gift I bought that day was definitely an engraved pen for my dad. Our last name is always spelled wrong (even on my Temple acceptance letter!) so I requested DAVID A. OSHLA'G on it (adding in the apostrophe). Can't wait to give it to him.

The Whiskey Museum was downright amazing. I already knew I liked whiskey, but this gave me a great history lesson on the drink's development and making process. At the end I got to try a bunch of different kinds, and learned a bit more about what specifically I like (I actually enjoy the bite of it!). There was even an amazingly smooth twenty year blend.

A compilation of Dublin's music scene!

Thankfully (since I was a little flushed from the whiskey) I had enough time to grab dinner and stop by my hostel before meeting up my group pub crawl I’d signed up for. We went to a bunch of pubs, though I had to head back after three or four since I had Belfast the next day. I loved the Irish music and dancing, and getting to join in was amazing. I tried a few different beers, and of course ordered some Guinness (a half pint, and it was such a dark brew!) but to be honest I'm much more of a cider fan -> Thankfully, there are so many different types of hard cider, I'm having a ton of fun exploring them all! So far, I think I prefer something not-too dry, but also not with too much fruity flavour (they can get really sweet). I’d gladly go back 😊

There was a funny moment that because of the Life360 I downloaded for Mom and Dad to use to “track” me, Mom knew I wasn’t back at the hostel yet. It was a little freaky getting a text from her asking when I was going to be heading back, but that’s what I get for showing them how to use the app (I deactivated it from my phone once I was back in London).

I headed to Belfast the next day, the capital of Northern Ireland (and "fun fact," where the Titanic set sail). My bus from Dublin was at 5:30 am, which meant I had to grab my bag and be on the way to the bus-stop while the moon was still out (though the sidewalks still had travelers and street-cleaners out, even at that early hour). I didn't spend too much time in the city, actually, but in the countryside on a tour. A Game of Thrones themes tour, actually (I won the bus trivia)! The show is largely filmed in and around Belfast - a lot of the locals, almost all of them, have been extras in the show! Even our tour guide, though she couldn't reveal anything. She did tell us how they would tape over the cameras on people's phones with special tape, and if it was tampered with or showed a picture had been taken, the person would be automatically kicked off the set.

We saw all ranges of places that were used to film, and the nerdy stuff was really fun, but I also loved seeing Northern Ireland and the other historical places we visited. Those included a picturesque fishing village, seaside caves, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, The Giant's Causeway, and the Dark Hedges.

The Giant's Causeway in particular is extremely famous, and has a great story. They are historical basalt columns along the oceanside, that looks to be manmade but are actually completely naturally. The myths around the area are captivating (especially when told in an Irish accent by your tour guide, whose family has shown tourists around for generations). The legend goes like this (as with the best myths, there is some discussion on the details):

Finn McCool was a giant who lived on the Irish coast of the North Channel, part of the Irish Sea which separates the county with Scotland. Across the Channel was the giant Benandonner, and the colossuses did not like one another. From across the Irish Sea, they would yell at one another and fight, until one day Finn McCool decides to go right to Benandonner. However, when he gets there, he sees the other is much, much larger than him. Finn McCool tries to escape back to Ireland, but he's spotted and Benandonner comes after him. In the chase, Finn looses his boot (the rock formation can still be seen at the Giant's Causeway). With Benandonner on his way, and so way to win such a fight, Finn hatches a plan. Enlisting the help of his wife, Oonagh, he has her swaddle him and hides him away. When Benandonner arrives, Oonagh says her husband is out but will return soon. She keeps him waiting for so long that he yells out, at which point Finn, still hidden, cries out like an infant. Oonagh starts shouting "My baby, you've woken my baby!" Benandonner uncovers Finn, and seeing the infant thinks to himself "If this is the child, I don't want to meet the father!" Benandonner turned tail, and ran back to Scotland, tearing up walkway between the two countries as he went. The same basalt columns found on the Irish side can be found in Scotland.

Back in Belfast, after a bit of a mixup with my ticket, getting back was fine. I spent the majority of Friday and Saturday resting (I got back really late Thursday night) and am still deciding what to do with the rest of my Sunday, today!

I'm sure I'll write all about it 😊

Best ❤️

-Ruth xoxo

PS. I don't know how, but I completely forgot last night I saw a lesser known, smaller production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White. I wouldn't say it was my favorite show, but it was definitely entertaining, and the mystery was great.

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